Delayed Reaction: 47 Meters Down

Premise: Two women get trapped 47 meters down in a shark cage when the lever on the boat breaks.

 

I respect a movie that delivers what it promises. This is a straight-forward thriller movie with a touch of horror. The stakes are clear. The setup is simple. I got 85-minutes of exactly what I thought I was signing up for. It's hard to be displeased with that.

 

While watching this, it's pretty clear this began its life as a straight-to-video release. Claire Holt and Mandy Moore are stars with a definite ceiling. As much as I love Mandy Moore, I can't fathom when she would get an Oscar nomination or be the star of a blockbuster. Entertainment Studios releases in general have a "distressed asset" feel to them. And 47 Meters Down was moved from video to a theatrical release at the last minute. It did pretty well too for its small budget.

 

The premise does most of the work. I'm horrified by the idea of getting trapped in a cage at the bottom of the ocean, surrounded by sharks, with low oxygen. Just describing that gives me all the chills I got from the movie. I thought a lot about Open Water, which is a much more terrifying movie. Almost all of that is due to the performances. Open Water is above water. That's immediate and up close. In 47 Meters Down, it's ADR dialogue of the actresses in diving gear. Everything in water is slow. It's hard to get any performance out of that. My own imagination does the most work watching this.

 

I was a little annoyed with the fake out ending too. I knew there would be hallucinations. That was guaranteed as soon as them mentioned it. This hallucination is long and consistent though. Too long. Too consistent. I didn't clock it, but that was a good chunk of movie that was hallucinated and it was all pretty coherent. As is, it felt like a cheap way to make the sister die again. Perhaps my opinion will soften over time. I hated the Romy & Michelle fake out the first time too, and now I love it.

 

Verdict: Weakly Recommend